The Technology of Interior Design

Like everything else in the world, interior design has undergone significant changes through the advancement of technology. This is reflected in many ways – in how we design, in how designs are represented, and finally in how clients understand and relate to those designs. Step into an interior design agency’s offices, you’ll see rows of laptops with grids, 3D maps, something like rows of brightly coloured virtual homes floating on screens.

At the most fundamental level, the designer is vastly supported by software like AutoCAD and Sketchup. They simplify those previously cumbersome tasks like designing, drafting, modeling. They also allow for the production of images – renders and 3D models, allowing for a direct understanding of this part of the process for the client. Sketchup, originally developed by Google and later sold to Trimble (yes, this happens sometimes!) is used primarily in the home and office interiors industries.

And the next level, 3D visualization itself has taken the client experience a step forward. Setting up a modular kitchen? You can see how it’s going to look, zoom in, get an understanding of where the window light might fall, whether or not the layout works with the space you have. This way, the risk factor of being disappointed with what you get is very low – you can alter the 3D model to your convenience, without large amounts of time and money being spent each time change your mind.

And the coming generation, you might say, the next level of technological innovation, would be Augmented Reality. Got a smartphone or tablet? Point the camera at your bedroom and use this software to add a wardrobe there to get a sense of how it’s going to look. Don’t like the colour? You can change it as many times as you like, and when you do finally make your choice, you can be sure that what you see is pretty much what you’re going to get.

Perhaps the main input of technology is this – the possibility of visualizing. They say there’s many a slip between the cup and the lip, and so it goes with dream interiors and the actualities of furniture – materials, colours, sizes, shapes. What these innovations offer is a huge reduction in the number of slips – a visual bridge between the dream and the reality. More than simplifying the task of the designers, even, they enhance the customer experience, allowing for greater interaction, control and cohesiveness.

Visit Homelane.com to get that perfect mix of innovation, designer inputs and practical efficiency!